Posts Tagged ‘BCS’

I’m angry. I was having a great Fantasy Football season and had it upended by ONE game yesterday. First game of the fantasy playoffs…and I lose to the team that just barely squeezed in. Upset special. Like last year’s Super Bowl. I almost wanna be sick. So what happened, you ask? The effin’ Bungles happened. Bastards COMPLETELY laid down and wet the bed against Indy and the guy I was playing happened to have both Peyton Manning and the Colts defense. Thanks Cincy. You sorry fucks.

Anyway, lets get to it. Everyone’s talking about the Cowboys and the Steelers. Yes, the ‘boys blew the game. But you know what, they should’ve been smashed considering how sorry they played. Given that, I’m actually disappointed in Pitt. Not to mention, they get sacked too much to win. I cant help but think that if a team can turn the ball over on you THAT often and still almost win, they’re probably a better team than you. Also, that vaunted Steeler defense was absolutely handled by a rookie running back.

On to the Giants. I was surprised to see them handled by the Eagles but the Eagles are probably the most bipolar team in the league. Without Plax, the Giants are gonna have to depend on Jacobs to win games. Without him, I just dont think they’re that good. Their strength is their O-line…even though Eli gets all the credit. They’re going to miss Plax more than the pundits seem to think they will. The Eagles…its nice to see Donovan move a little bit, as well as have some time to throw the ball. I’m a little weirded out by them running the ball over 30 times. Thats not Reid’s style…that would actually be somewhat successful. So, we probably wont see it again this season.

J…E…T…S…J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets. The New York Football Jets blew another one last night but I still think they’ll take the AFC East. I dont believe in the Patriots and although the Dolpins are having a good season, they seem able to not lose more than being able to win games. In the playoffs, you have to be able to win games. Also, I like the Jets’ running game better than any other team in that division. They also have the better quarterback.

Congratulations to the Arizona Cardinals. A much-deserved playoff berth. Seems like they’re not getting any respect from the rest of the league tho. I think a team would be making a huge mistake if they took them lightly. The best WR corps in the league and a former MVP, as well as current MVP candidate, QB is nothing to sneeze at. Their defense may not be great but they arent TERRIBLE either. I really enjoy watching these guys play and hope they make some real noise in the playoffs.

I love the way the Niners are playing under interim coach, Mike Singletary. They may only be .500 but they play harder than they were before and that speaks to Singletary’s effect on them as their coach. Besides, if you listen to any of his soundbytes, you really wanna tell me that you couldnt play for that guy. I think it would be a disgrace if the Niners dont make him their head coach.

Who Dat? Thats fitting for my New Orleans Saints now more than ever. They’re about as bipolar as the Eagles. Cant ever tell WHO is gonna show up when they take the field. A disjointed mishmash of a team that can barely put first downs together or a well-oiled machine with legitimate weapons at every offensive position. I used to expect them to win every game they played. Now I spend the entire game wondering how they’re gonna blow it. I also wonder when Reggie Bush is gonna figure this shit out b/c there’s no way on God’s green Earth that he should be being outperformed by the likes of Aaron Stecker and/or Pierre Thomas. Thats simply outrageous. I wonder what happened to Colston’s ability to catch a football when he isnt standing by himself. I wonder what took Shockey so long to get into games. I wonder why Deuce plays like 3 downs a game. Lastly, I wonder if they actually DO have a chance to make the playoffs.

Anyway, I have a couple of predictions based on what I’ve seen this season. One, I think the Colts are coming on in a big way and the rest of the teams in the AFC should be afraid. If Manning’s timing is catching up like it appears to be, its a wrap for everyone else.I realize what the pundits and stats are saying but the Steelers dont have the best defense in football, the Ravens do. They are dangerous and, IMO, the scariest defense in the league. I have practically NO doubt that they’ll beat the Steelers again and they may even run the table for the rest of the season. Be afraid of this team. Next to the Colts, they’re the scariest team in the AFC. I’d take the IND vs BAL as a conference final.The NFC is a tougher call b/c so many teams seem evenly matched. I think the NFC South is the best division in football. With the exception of my Saints, they all have tough defenses. I’d give the edge to Tampa Bay but Carolina is just as tough b/c of the guy I call “The Certified Game Breaker” Steve Smith. Between these 2 teams, I cant call it. Either will be a tough out for any team. Then you have the defending champs who I’m not as confident about as others. I think the Cowboys will again falter at a bad moment and I think the Cardinals are gonna scare somebody but ultimately falter. I think the NFC South will represent the NFC in the conference final.

Anyway, the last few weeks of this season will be very interesting.

By the way, the BCS got it right. Oklahoma vs Florida ARE the two best teams and is the best possible game. Like it or not, the system isnt failing. In fact, I’d venture to say, if there WERE a playoff, this would be the game you would want to see as the championship then as well.I’m gonna end by talking about two of my favorite shows, Around The Horn and Pardon The Interruption. First, I love Reali as the host of ATH but he cant score the show for shit. The show is WAY too much of a vehicle for Jay Mariotti who is almost universally hated and rightfully so. I dont think there’s a person on TV that I’d enjoy seeing punched in the face more than that guy. Also, gotta love PTI but I really wish “The Hateable” Dan LeBatard was a permanent feature of the show somehow. That guy is ALWAYS entertaining. These two shows are a fantastic way of keeping up with sports in general and I’d recommend both.

Bowl Championship Series Football. Gotta love it, right? All year, every year, we hear about just how flawed this system is…how an 8-team playoff system would be better and so on and so forth. Not that I really give a crap about college football in general but I’m not sure I agree with the common sentiment that the BCS sucks. The science around just seems sound to me. Basing how a team ranks on the record of that team logically makes sense. So is the problem really that we want to introduce more of a human element into how these rankings are decided. Wont there still be problems with that? The only argument I really support against the BCS is that it seems to encourage running up the score and that isnt done in the true spirit of competition.

This whole Oklahoma/Texas/Texas Tech debacle. To recap, Oklahoma is now the #2 team even though they lost to Texas. Texas is ranked #3 and Texas Tech is ranked #7. Texas Tech has beaten Texas. Oklahoma beat Texas Tech. Ok, got it? Good. Everybody’s mad…but honestly, I dont have any problem with how it broke out. Colin Cowherd put it best when he said that this is what happens to teams that play a cupcake schedule. Oklahoma has only played tough teams. The other 2 teams have not. And honestly, when you think about it, between the 3 teams, which one do you worry about the most. I’ve seen all 3 teams play…not to a significant degree but I’ve seen em…and Oklahoma actually looks like the best team.

Again, I dont have a dog in the fight about BCS or playoff but I just think the argument about one or the other ends up falling a little short. I also am not sure that it isnt true that the season wouldnt be as interesting to fans if there were a playoff. It might be false but who knows really.